"My mother's first love is buried somewhere under the ivory French sky, and I've crossed an ocean to find him. There I am, gripping the wheel of my whimsical little car, La Dolce Vita. We've become inseparable, soulmates on this winding path. She gleams like a freshwater pearl, humming softly along Normandy's lush back roads, where lazy hills roll out like a lover's embrace, sprinkled with snowdrops and bluebells-a verdant shroud over the scarred bones of ancient battlefields. What a heartbreakingly beautiful place to lose yourself in! I wouldn't mind dissolving into that golden, buttery evening light, fading away like a whispered prayer.

I'm searching for Vincent Legassey's grave, that enigmatic young soldier who lingered in my mother's delicate memory like a ghost of what could have been. From my earliest days, her tales of vanished love letters, the shattering agony of war, and their final goodbye have wrapped around my heart like tender vines, enchanting and haunting me. He is part legend, part aching fable. There's no earthly reason I'm drawn to him except for the unlikely fact that I still believe in miracles."

(Opening passage, "Look For Me: Beyond Myth and Memory")

From the author:

When my mother's vision of cherubs dancing around me at birth became family legend, I never imagined I'd follow that light from a Normandy cemetery to resurrect her untethered spirit and write about it.

My search for a ghost from her past evolved into a spiritual pilgrimage, tracing my life as the sixth of thirteen children in a loving yet chaotic family to a life spent in motion across four continents. I saw my father, Ray, a charismatic car salesman who ruled our home with a blend of theatrical humour and puritanical fury. And I found my mother, Ramona, navigating the beautiful madness of her life with a quiet grace that I never fully appreciated.

My globetrotting life took me from the bustling markets of Bangkok to the romantic streets of Buenos Aires and Paris, but ultimately left me feeling adrift. Tracing Vincent's path through a war-torn France of 80 years ago was a reflection of my search for an enduring connection. Who was this 19-year-old soldier boy, and what was his true story?

The universe began to answer. A series of "God-winks" and a newfound sobriety that cleared my vision led to Vincent's surviving family. They held the key I had been looking for: a love letter Ramona had written to him in 1944.

It is a passionate billet-doux, a fierce declaration of eternal love.

It is a gift.

I read Ramona's words over and over.

In that moment, I understood everything. My mother's vision was not a hallucination or a simple story; it was her soul's way of holding onto a sentiment of love so powerful it transcended time and even death. Her life was not one of quiet suffering but of profound, enduring love. I was no longer just my mother's memory: I was the keeper of her truth. My journey ended with the discovery of my own liberation. I had found Vincent, I had found my mother, and in doing so, I had finally found myself.

To literary agents:

With memoir sales booming in the marketplace, Look For Me offers a fresh angle: a sixty-year-old woman's odyssey, spanning Normandy war graves, Thai monasteries, and mid-life reinvention. It combines lush travel writing, vivid historical scenes, and a candid family chronicle that speaks to the universal longing for connection. The result is a poignant celebration of resilience, faith, and the extraordinary in the ordinary. With strong marketing hooks-World War ll anniversaries, spiritual tourism, multi-generational memoir- Look For Me is poised to capture both memoir enthusiasts and book-club audiences.

On a personal note:

I invite you to witness the debut of a luminous, world-renowned memoir.

Your support will help cover the following expenses for eventual publication:

-Editing and proofreading services

-Book formatting

-Graphic design

-Website design

-Steps toward self-publication.

My plan includes querying a list of literary agents in Canada, the UK and the USA, with updates along the way.

My gift to you:

An e-book.

A signed copy of the hardcover edition, LOOK FOR ME: BEYOND MYTH AND MEMORY.

An invitation with "Party Favours" to attend my launch party in 2026.

Your generosity will galvanize my efforts forward in a dramatic way.

Thank you...

with love,

Sharon Anne Costello

Look For Me in bookstores in 2026!~